Tigers face a devil of a job at Owlerton

TIGERS owner Neil Machin insists his side cannot take anything for granted when they face Plymouth Devils for the first time at Owlerton tonight (7.45).

The Devils are new to the Premier League and they include top British star Ben Barker who inspired his country to a test win over Australia last week.

And Sheffield are without the services of Josh Auty after suffering a broken ankle in his World Under-21 qualifier at the weekend.

Said Machin: “We are favourites to win the meeting but Plymouth have riders who can push us hard without a doubt.

“Ben Barker had a good meeting here in the British semi-final and I’m sure he will be determined to go through the card.

“Mark Simmonds has had good meetings here in the past when he rode for Exeter and Jason Bunyan has actually raced in Sheffield colours as a guest in years gone by.

“So we cannot afford any complacency, we have to treat Plymouth with respect.”

Tigers may be without Auty but the good news is Emiliano Sanchez is back from injury.

Said Machin: “Emiliano has had a nightmare season because he has been hurt by crashes which haven’t even been his fault.

“He has seen machinery wrecked at great cost and he’s found life tough this season. We are all hoping he has had more than his share of misfortune and he can return to the side and score lots of points for us.

“And we are still awaiting further reports from Josh Auty on how long he is likely to be out of action after his weekend crash. Everyone at Sheffield Speedway wishes Josh well.”